Gen no Yama: Mountain of Darkness
by Yumeko1
Summary: With the Suzaku Festival coming up in Souun, things seem like they're going well for the Mt. Leikaku bandits. But a darkness brewing beneath the surface threatens to shatter it into pieces, with Genrou, Kai and some unexpected guests in its path. Sequel to my previous FY epic, Mountain of Illusion. Contains OCs and numerous shoujo tropes.
1. Family Reunion

Even though the road that curved around the bottom of Mt. Leikaku was busy with travelers and merchants coming into town for the weekend's Suzaku Festival in Souun, the sun was hot enough that all Kai could think about was finding shade. The sun was almost directly overhead so she wasn't having much luck, and every time she'd managed to find a cool place another traveler came through loaded with goods. Her green eyes darted to her waterskin and she sighed when she remembered that it was almost empty.

It had been a little over a year since Kai had struggled her way up the side of the mountain in the hopes of joining the Mt. Leikaku bandits, braving the same burning sky and precarious rocks that she knew she'd have to deal with on her way back up to the fortress when someone switched off with her. Judging from the position of the sun, however, it wasn't going to be anytime soon. The bushes nearby rustled and Kai looked over at them almost lazily, thinking of how much trouble it would be to draw her sword in this weather. When a man that was at least twice her size, if not more, came out of them she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Please tell me you've come to relieve me," she said to him and he shook his head.

"Sorry, brat." Nami slung a full waterskin at her and she caught it. "Just comin' by to check on you on the way to the restaurant."

"Remember when we sat by this road together, Nami? Just you and me…" She squinted into the sun. "…the occasional breeze." Nami laughed and shook his head. "You don't remember?"

"Of course I remember. How could I forget bein' stuck listenin' to you chatter on for hours on end?" He shielded his eyes from the sun. "Only thing that could make it worse was full sun at noon." Nami looked back at Kai. "Maybe you could talk to the birds. Unless they're hidin' out from the sun too."

"Come on, check on the restaurant and then come back to sit with me for a little while. We could switch off for a little while so I could stop baking out here."

"No thanks," Nami said. "I don't have any interest in gettin' a sunburn today. Maybe the next merchant you pick off will have an umbrella you can swipe. Then you can sit out here and look _really_ girly." Kai growled at him and slung the empty waterskin at his head. She'd gotten stronger since she came to the mountain, and it would have easily hit him if he hadn't been fast enough to snatch it out of the air. "Nice try, brat."

"Go check on the restaurant," she said, hands on her hips. Nami walked back down the path laughing and she resisted the urge to throw a rock at him. "Girly," she snorted as she stormed over to a boulder that sat by the road and hoisted herself onto it. "I'll show him girly."

Ever since Kai had revealed to the rest of the bandits that she was in fact a woman and not the undersized boy she'd told them she was, it had been a source of great amusement to the other bandits to tease her about being feminine or weak when it couldn't be further from the truth. Since she'd arrived, she'd trained her hardest to get strong. Though she was small, she never shrank from even the hardest tasks whether she was capable of doing them or not.

"Girly," she grumbled again as she stared at the road. The sun was hot on her dark hair but she refused to continue her attempts to find shade, as if trying to prove to Nami that she wasn't a delicate flower. He had been her first real friend on the mountain, and as such he took pleasure in teasing her whenever possible. As much as it annoyed her, Kai couldn't help thinking of him as a big brother.

A creak on the road just around the bend alerted her to the fact that a traveler was coming. She'd come so far from the days when Nami had to accompany her that she was often put on the road alone to intercept travelers now. At first Genrou had objected, telling her she was much too important to risk herself that way, but Kai had gotten used to doing whatever she wanted and she told him flat out that she was perfectly capable of doing it on her own. Whether he believed her or just didn't feel like arguing with her was uncertain. Kai slid off the boulder and wandered to the road after taking a long, grudging drink from the waterskin.

The cart was moving slowly, which to Kai's ears said that it was loaded with whatever the merchant was planning to sell at the Festival and she started trying to calculate a decent toll for going through the mountains. If he was a regular guy passing through, it would be easy enough but if she sensed anything off about him she'd whistle for backup. She stepped into the road as the horse came around the bend and she smiled.

"Hey there," she said as the man came around the corner. He was dressed nicely but not flashily, a wise choice for a man traveling on his own and she knew at once he was just a merchant passing through. Five percent would be fair. "Coming to Souun for the Festival?"

"Yes," the man said, stopping the cart and climbing down. "You must be one of the Mt. Leikaku bandits I've heard so much about." He reached into the cart beneath a heavy tarp and rummaged around. "I prepared some money for you, please let me know if it's not enough."

"Oh," Kai said, trying not to show her surprise as she approached the man. He held out a bag of money to her and she took it and weighed it in her hand. It was an unusual occurrence but not unheard of. If people were passing through the mountain they almost certainly knew they were going to pay a toll. Money was always better than goods they'd have to try and sell later, so she didn't have a problem accepting it. "This is plenty. Mind if I look over your goods though? Just in case?"

"No, no, please go ahead." He stepped away from the cart and Kai went toward it after tucking the money into her sash. "It's…unusual for a woman to be a bandit, isn't it?"

"I'm one in a million," she said, looking under the tarp. It looked like a run of the mill collection of textiles and she nodded. "Looks good." When she turned back to the man, he was much closer to her and looking very closely at her face. "Hey," she said, frowning. "Step back."

"Shika?" The sound of her real name was like thunder and she froze. Kai looked at the man, trying to determine whether or not she would have to run for the fortress. When she looked into his eyes, though, her heart nearly stopped. They were green, exactly the same shade as hers.

"Oniichan?"

"Shika, it _is_ you!" Without warning, he put his arms around Kai and hugged her tightly enough to take her breath away. Her first thought was to squirm away but instead she put her arms around her brother and hugged him back. "I thought you died with Mother, or that the soldiers took you when the village was raided! I never thought I'd see you again."

"Me either," she said with a smile, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "I was sure you and Father were both killed in the war. We were told you were in one of the battles with Kutou soldiers." She smiled and leaned her head against him. "I'm so happy to see you, Oniichan."

"You've grown up so beautifully," he said, holding her out at arm's length so he could look at her. "You're not my crying baby sister anymore, that's for sure."

"Hah," Kai said with a smirk. "You can say that again."

"But what in Suzaku's name are you wearing?" He shook his head. "Now that I think about it, what are you doing on this mountain? You're not a prisoner, are you?" This made Kai laugh and she shook her head. Her hair had gotten longer but she kept it pulled back into a ponytail. She suspected if she took it down she'd look more like her brother's image of a good sister.

"Hardly." She put two fingers in her mouth and whistled, a long sharp note that carried up the mountain. "Some of the other guys should be here in a minute. I'll walk you up the road to the fortress and you can stay there for the night. Unless you'd rather I walk you down to Souun and get you set up. It's up to you. I'd rather you came up, though."

"Why?"

"There's someone I'd like you to meet," Kai said with a smile as she saw someone jogging up the path. Her whistle had been non-urgent so it only brought another couple of guys, who joined her by the wagon. "Hey guys."

"Something wrong, Kai?"

"Kai?" Her brother looked at her curiously but she didn't answer him.

"Everything's fine," she said. "This guy's my brother Shuhei. I'd like to give him a personal escort if you two don't mind watching the road while I do." She looked at her brother. "Up or down?"

"If it's safe," he said carefully, "I'd rather go up. I want to be with my little sister as long as possible."

"It's settled then," she said with a smile. "I'll walk him up the side of the mountain. And expect something special when you get home tonight. This is going to be a celebration." Kai looked at her brother and her smile grew wider. "Come on, follow me." Nodding, Shuhei got back up on the wagon and snapped his horse's reins.

"You should be riding up here with me," he said as Kai motioned for him to follow her. She laughed and shook her head.

"No thanks. I've gone up and down this path so often on foot that it would be weird to do it on the back of a wagon. Besides, I need to guide the horse around a couple of tight areas." Kai started up the mountain, waving back at the other bandits as she did. "So where have you been?"

"After the war ended, I went back to our village and found that it had been burned to the ground. So many people were dead. Mother was gone, no one had seen you since the army left, so I made my way to the capital and started working for a textile merchant. Father had taught me a few things so I made myself useful right away and before I knew it I'd struck out on my own in Isaya. Business hasn't been great so I brought some things with me thinking I could test the waters in Souun and see if I could set up there." He smiled at Kai. "What about you, Shika? What have you been doing? Have you been here all this time?"

"No," she said, taking the horse's reins. "I wandered around Konan for a while. Couldn't cross into any other countries without papers right after the war so I just started my career as a thief. Got pretty good at it too, until I came across the madam of a teahouse who took me in."

"You were…a _courtesan_?"

"No, no," Kai said, shaking her head. "I just did their housekeeping and served them food until I found something better." She pulled the horse around to a narrower area. "There's a net over in the wide area, I don't want your horse to trip it."

"Thank you." Shuhei sighed. "This is all so much to take in. Something better. You call being a mountain bandit something better. My poor little Shika, if I'd only known you were alive I could have taken better care of you."

"I'm doing fine," she said with a smile. "My friends are all here and we have a good thing going. You said it yourself, you heard all about us. We're not your usual kind of bandits." She pointed to the fortress on top of the hill. "Won't be too much longer now."

They were mostly quiet on the way up the mountain until they reached the front gate where two men were standing guard. Kai waved at them and they lowered their weapons. One came over to her and they shook hands, then clapped each other on the back.

"What'd this guy do?"

"He's a friend," Kai said, looking over her shoulder at Shuhei. She motioned for him to get off the wagon. "Take his horse around to the stables if you would, and put the wagon somewhere safe. I'm going to take him into the fortress."

"You got it, Kai." One of the bandits took the reins while Shuhei climbed down and followed his sister through the slowly opening gate.

"Thanks, guys." She turned around and walked backwards as she spoke. "Genrou inside?"

"Yeah, he should be in your room. That's where I saw him last."

"Good. See you guys at dinner." Looking back at Shuhei with a smile, she nodded toward the fortress. "I hope you like good liquor because we've been saving some for a special occasion. I was also saving some special ingredients for a dinner before the Suzaku Festival but I think this is much more important. Genrou'll agree with me, I'm sure." She led him up the steps and Nami came over to her. "I thought you were at the restaurant."

"I was but I came back up here afterward. Who's this?" Nami looked Shuhei up and down, then narrowed his one eye at him. "Huh. A family member? I thought you were an orphan."

"This is my brother, Shuhei." Kai motioned to Nami with a grin. "Oniichan, this is my good friend Nami. Though I guess I could call him a sort of big brother. He spent a lot of time looking after me when I first came up here."

"She's the annoying little brother I never had," Nami said with an equally large grin. He extended a hand to Shuhei, who took it uncertainly and shook it. "Good to meet you. I guess she's takin' you to meet Genrou?"

"I suppose so?" Shuhei looked at Kai, who nodded towards the leader's room. "Pleased to meet you," he said to Nami. "Thank you for taking care of Shika."

"Come on," Kai said. "We'll see you at dinner, Aniki." They went down the hall and Kai looked at her brother. Her grin had become a much softer smile. "This guy is really important to me, so I hope you like him. I've told him about you, and that I thought you were dead. I know he'll be just as happy to see you as I am."

"Of course I'll like him," Shuhei said. "He took you in and saved you from becoming a courtesan, and he's kept you safe all this time."

"I hope so." She knocked lightly on the door, then opened it without waiting for an invitation and motioned for Shuhei to follow her.

Genrou was sitting at the low table in the room he shared with Kai, looking seriously at a map. His flame-colored hair was unruly as always, completely at odds with how focused he was on the map. He looked up when she came in and grinned, then stood up and went over to her.

"Hey, I thought ya were still down on the road."

"I switched off with Oran and Jiro. There was someone I wanted to bring up here." She looked over her shoulder, only to discover that Shuhei wasn't with her. "Hey, Oniichan, come on in. What are you still doing outside?"

"Oniichan?" Genrou looked at the door and Shuhei came in uncertainly, looking around at the comparative lavishness of the leader's room. "This guy's your brother?"

"Yes," Kai said, grabbing her brother's arm and pulling him over to Genrou. "This is my brother Shuhei. He's been alive all this time."

"Nice to meetcha," Genrou said, shaking Shuhei's hand vigorously. "I'm Genrou, the leader around here. Make yourself at home, we'll take care of ya. In fact, we'll have a big dinner to celebrate ya bein' alive."

"I was just thinking that," Kai said with a grin, and Genrou laughed and put an arm around her neck. "I know I've been hanging around you too long when we start thinking the same thing."

"Yeah, I don't know why ya put up with me." He pulled her closer and smiled at her, then looked over at her brother. "We got an empty room ya can stay in as long as ya want. This place's kinda outta the way but we get pretty much anything we want." He grinned down at Kai again. "Guess it's a good thing ya argued with me about puttin' ya on the road today."

"It was all part of my master plan," Kai said. She put her arm around his waist. "What do you say, Oniichan? Do you want to stay here during the Festival? We can take you down the mountain whenever you want to go."

"Thank you for the kind offer," Shuhei said, somewhat nervously, "but I have to set up my things in town if I'm going to sell anything."

"Ya gotta at least stay for dinner tonight," Genrou said. "We'll take ya down to Souun in the morning and make sure ya get set up in a good spot." He winked at Shuhei. "We can probably pull a coupl'a strings to make it happen."

"Thank you," Shuhei said. "I do appreciate it." He gave Genrou a tentative smile and the bandit leader went to the door and looked out.

"Hey, Kouji," he shouted. A young man with a scar on his face and blue-black hair came around the corner. "This' Kai's big brother. Find a nice place for him to stay for the night and get Yuta started on somethin' special for dinner. We're havin' a party."

"Oh, great!" Kouji's face lit up. "Between this and the Suzaku Festival we're gonna be livin' like kings up here." He nodded toward the door. "C'mon, we'll get you someplace to sleep. What's your name again?" Kouji led Shuhei out of the room and closed the door behind him, leaving Kai and Genrou alone in his room.

"Thanks for letting him stay here," Kai said with a smile. "I just can't believe he's alive. After all these years, finding him here is unbelievable. I don't even know what to say to him." Genrou went over to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Just tell him how ya feel. Tell him ya missed him and that ya love him. My sisters were a nightmare but I love 'em." He looked off to the side. "Mostly."

"You're probably right." Kai put her arms around his neck. "I'm going to take him down to Souun tomorrow so he can get set up. Mind if I take one of the horses?"

"Ya think ya can mount up without slidin' off the back?" Genrou grinned and put his arms around her waist. Kai scowled at him and he leaned down to kiss her. "I'll go down with ya, see if I can talk the festival organizers into givin' him a good spot."  
"Thanks," Kai said. "I only glanced at his textiles but they look like they're great quality. Oh," she said, her eyes widening. She took the money bag Shuhei had given her out of her sash. "I forgot. He gave me this bag of money as a toll before he realized who I was and I haven't given it back to him."

"I'm sure Kouji's puttin' him in Ichi's old room if ya wanna go give it back." He shrugged. "I wouldn't feel right keepin' your brother's money."

"I knew I loved you for a reason." She kissed him quickly and headed for the door. "See you at dinner." Genrou sat back down and looked at the map while she went out into the hallway.

Ichi's old room was near the one she had shared with Nami when she first came to Mt. Leikaku, so she made her way down the familiar hall and stopped in front of Ichi's door. It was closed so she knocked on it lightly.

"Y-yes?"

"Oniichan, it's me," she said. "Can I come in?"

"Shika? Of course, please do!" The relief was evident in his voice and Kai pushed open the door to find him sitting on the bed, looking uncertain. "Thank Suzaku you came. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. That gentleman – Kouji, your friend called him – said to make myself at home but I wasn't sure."

"Oh, feel free to wander around," Kai said with a shrug. "It's not as exciting as you'd think up here but we have a nice bathhouse if you want to take a bath. There's a hot spring in the mountain that feeds into it." She handed him the money bag. "Here, take this back. You don't have to pay a toll, you're family. Besides, Genrou said he wouldn't feel right keeping it."

"That's kind of him," Shuhei said, taking the bag. "But I'd much rather you kept it. Think of it as all the gifts I wasn't able to buy you growing up." Kai smiled.

"You really don't have to," she said. "I've got everything I need here. But if it makes you feel better I'll take it. I'm sure I can find some use for it with the Suzaku Festival coming up." She took the money and sat on the bed beside her brother. "Thanks, Oniichan."

"So this Genrou," Shuhei said carefully, "he's your lover?"

"There's a bit more to it than that," she said with a smile, a little surprised to find that she was blushing. "But yes, he is."

"How did you meet?" Kai couldn't help laughing at this, hard enough to make tears appear at the corners of her eyes. "Did I say something funny?"

"Come with me," Kai said, standing up and grabbing her brother's wrist. "Let's find some of the good liquor and I'll tell you all about it." Shuhei looked uncertain but she grinned at him. "It involves cross-dressing and a lot of wasted arrows." Her brother looked alarmed at this but when Kai tugged him out the door she didn't care. Her brother was alive and nothing was going to separate them again.


	2. Shadows and Doubt

The sun came up over the mountains the next morning and Genrou woke up first, as usual. Kai had always been a deep sleeper, and she barely stirred as he got up and went to the window to check the yard. Seeing Kai asleep beside him usually gave him a sense of calm but something didn't feel right. He didn't know where the feeling was coming from but if there was one thing he'd learned in more than fifteen years on Mt. Leikaku, it was to trust his feelings.

He looked down at his forearm where the character for 'wing' was glowing bright red. He covered it with his hand, rubbing its subtle warmth almost absently as he looked out into the yard. It was empty and he wasn't surprised. After the big dinner they'd all had, no one else was awake.

Kai shifted in the bed and rolled over, snuggling deeper into the pillows, and Genrou smiled. She really had a thing for pillows. There were so many things about her that made him smile, and a sudden feeling of fear overtook him. He sat on the side of the bed and reached out to touch her face just as she opened her eyes.

"Hey," she said sleepily. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin'," Genrou said, taking in the curves of her face. "Just had a weird feelin' when I woke up. Thought I'd check the place out."

"I'll come with you," Kai said, sitting up. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. "I won't be able to get back to sleep now."

"Sure, if ya wanna." Genrou got off the bed and Kai slid out after him. She was wearing a plain white sleeping kimono with a light red sash and it rode up her legs as she did, revealing her thighs. She pushed it back down when she stood up, much to Genrou's dismay, and went to the dressing table to brush out her hair. "We should check on your brother too."

"You don't think he's the reason, do you?" She looked at him in the mirror and he shook his head as he went to the wardrobe to pick out something to wear. If they were going into town, he wanted to look nice.

"Nah. He seems like a good guy. Not much for drinkin' last night, though. Guess that doesn't run in the family." He grinned at Kai, who raised an eyebrow. "Whatever else anyone can say about ya, Kai, ya sure know how to put 'em away."

"Thanks, I guess." She put down the brush and went to her own wardrobe to get her clothes. She picked out a nice outfit in shades of lavender and gray and put it on, then sat on the bed to put on her boots. "You really think something's wrong out there?"

"I don't know for sure," Genrou said, buttoning his jacket. He went to his jewelry box and opened it. "Could be. Could be I just had a bad dream." He picked out a necklace and earrings that went with his outfit, then pulled out an onyx and garnet necklace that he tossed to Kai. There was no question that she'd want it. She'd only stopped wearing it to bed when they started sharing a room. She snatched it out of the air and put it around her neck.

"Maybe." Kai pulled her hair back into a ponytail with a length of material that matched her sash. "Maybe not. I trust your instincts." She stood up and put her knife on her hip. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Genrou said. They went to the door together and he opened it for her. "Wanna go check on your brother first or check around outside?"

"Outside first, before anyone else wakes up. No reason to get everyone worked up, right?" Genrou nodded his agreement and they moved as quietly as possible to the front doors and out into the yard. As they passed the window to the kitchen, noises from inside made Kai grin. "Sounds like Yuta's already working on breakfast. I wonder if that kid will ever lose his enthusiasm."

"Like ya got room to talk. You were just as eager when ya got here, ya know."

"Of course I was," Kai said. "I was trying to impress you." They reached the front gates and Genrou took a look back at the fortress. Everything seemed as quiet as usual but he still felt like something was wrong. He closed his eyes to try and pinpoint the source of the feeling but couldn't, and he sighed. Kai's hand was on his arm immediately and he opened his eyes. "What is it?"

"I dunno. It just feels wrong."

"Let's keep going." Kai knocked on the gate and it swung open, courtesy of two guards who looked like they were on the verge of falling asleep. Genrou raised a hand to them and they returned the gesture as the leader passed.

They walked into the mountains, carefully avoiding the traps the bandits had laid to capture intruders so as not to trip any of them. Apart from getting caught in them like he and Kai had once before, it would take up valuable time to reset them. Genrou wanted to make sure there was no threat to his men before they woke up, and that meant being cautious.

A trip up and down the mountain later, they were no closer to finding the source of Genrou's bad feeling. Neither he nor Kai had spoken much, not wanting to alert anyone to their presence, and when they were back where they started she finally spoke up.

"Do you still feel it?"

"Yeah. There's only one place up here we ain't checked, unless you wanna go down to the road too." Kai shook her head and he nodded. "Me neither. Let's just go check Kashira's grave, then go back up. Guys are probably wakin' up by now."

"All right," Kai said. She followed him down a separate path to the back side of the mountain where a small domed structure was nestled in the trees. The mountain seemed especially quiet around the resting place of the Mt. Leikaku bandits' former leader Hakurou, as if out of respect, and Kai frowned. "I feel it too."

"Be careful," Genrou said, taking his tessen off his back. Kai nodded and drew her sword. They walked more slowly toward the tomb, each checking one side for the source of their unease. It wasn't the first time they'd worked as a team like this and it had always served to keep them safe.

Without warning, a huge mountain cat leapt from the bushes with a scream that sounded completely unnatural to both the bandits' ears. There was a blackish foam dripping from its mouth and Kai stepped forward to thrust her sword into it. It roared and dropped to the ground, panting but not dead, and she stepped back.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Nothin' a little fire can't fix," Genrou said, opening the metal fan with a snap of his wrist. He drew it back and swung it in an arc toward the beast, which was struggling to its feet. A wave of fire poured from the tessen's pleats and engulfed the creature. It screamed again, then fell to the ground. This time it wasn't moving but neither bandit put away their weapon. "I think it might be dead."

"I'll check it," Kai said, taking a step forward. Genrou put out an arm to stop her.

"Like hell ya will. I'll check it." She looked like she was going to argue but before either one could say anything, a stream of oily black liquid came from the mouth of the charred corpse. As they watched, it turned into a sort of smoke and evaporated.

"What the hell _was_ that?" They spoke at the same time, then looked at each other. If the situation had been different they might have laughed but Genrou was on alert for any other creatures. Kai relaxed slowly and looked at him.

"Do you still feel it? I don't."

"Me neither," Genrou said, though he didn't put away his tessen. "Means it's probably the only one around. Let's get back up to the fortress. We should warn the guys to keep an eye out for animals actin' weird though. Don't want anyone gettin' hurt." Kai nodded and they started back up the mountain with their weapons drawn.

They put them away before they reached the fortress, not wanting to alarm anyone just yet, and immediately went to check Kai's brother. By that time the other bandits were waking up and moving around and Genrou greeted them as they passed. The room that had belonged to Ichi was quiet and Kai knocked gently on it.

"Oniichan?"

"Come in," Shuhei said. She opened the door and both she and Genrou went in. He supposed she could have done it on her own but after what they'd seen he was reluctant to leave her on her own. Shuhei was sitting on the bed and stood up when he saw his sister. "Good morning, Shika. Have you been up long?"

"Not too long," she said. "I hope you slept well. Breakfast is probably ready if you want some before we take you to Souun."

"If you don't mind, I'd rather just get down to town. I really do want to set up my things and get a feel for the place before the Festival." Shuhei's eyes went to Genrou, then snapped quickly back to his sister. "Why don't you stay in town with me a little while? We have so much to catch up on."

"Sure," Kai said with a smile. "We can spend a little while together if Genrou can spare me for a few hours." She looked over at him and he grinned.

"It'll be tough," he said, shaking his head. "But I think I can spare ya for a while. I'll go down to Souun with ya, then meet ya back at the road before sunset." He didn't say it, but he didn't want Kai walking up the mountain alone in the dark. Not that he didn't think she could handle herself, he didn't want her to run into another one of those beasts without his tessen.

"Thanks." She gave him the sort of look that usually preceded her kissing him, but he assumed she wasn't going to do that in front of her brother and settled for the gleam in her eyes. "Come on, Oniichan. Get your things together."

"I'll get someone to hook up your wagon," Genrou said. "And get a couple of horses for us. Meet ya outside the front gates, okay?"

"Sounds good." Kai stayed in the room with Shuhei while Genrou went out into the hall and headed for the yard to see who he could find to get horses.

As he walked away from the room and away from his need to stay positive around Kai's brother, he frowned. They'd gone looking for trouble and found it, now he had to think of a way to protect the rest of his men. He didn't know where the creature had come from but fire had killed it when Kai's sword alone couldn't. Unless he could think of a way to send all his men out with fire, they were all at risk. Granted, his feeling of dread had disappeared with the shadow but he'd seen too much in his life to think that one shadow was all he was going to see.

He went into the dining hall, where men were sitting all around the tables, waiting for him to get there so they could eat. Genrou only felt slightly guilty about this. If they'd seen the shadow, they would have been glad he'd been out taking care of it. Kouji met him at the door.

"There you are," he said. "Everything okay?"

"There's somethin' weird goin' on out in the mountains," Genrou said. Kouji and Kai were his two closest friends and he wasn't about to hide anything from him. Especially since Kouji was the leader by proxy whenever he was gone. "I'm goin' down to Souun with Kai and her brother but I need ya to keep an eye on the other guys." He quickly related the story of the shadow to Kouji, who frowned more deeply with every word.

"You think we should be out there today if something weird's going on?"

"We can't just hide in here," Genrou said. "'Sides, I don't think somethin' like that is gonna be stopped by a fence if it wants to get in. Just tell everybody to be careful but don't freak 'em out." Kouji nodded. "I've gotta get Kai's brother's wagon hitched up and get some horses for the trip."

"Want me to take care of it for you?"

"No, just keep the guys safe. With the Festival comin' up there's gonna be a lot of traffic on the road and it ain't all gonna be friendly. Kai might wanna stay with her brother for a little while but I'll be back up here as soon as I can," Genrou said. He looked at his men. "Just take care of things 'til I come back, okay?"

"Always do," Kouji said with a grin. "Be careful." He went back into the dining hall and Genrou went out to the front gate where Kai and her brother were standing outside the gates. They were chatting excitedly beside his horse and wagon and Kai looked up at him with a smile.

"You guys ready?" He glanced over his shoulder to see one of his men bringing two horses from the stable. One was the horse Kai insisted on riding, even though it was much too big for her, and she went to it. "Are ya really gonna try and do that alone?"

"Of course I am," Kai said with a grin. She put one foot in the stirrup and pushed herself off the ground with the other. For a moment it looked like she was going to make it this time but didn't quite get her leg up and over the saddle in time and started to tumble backward. Like a flash, Genrou was behind Kai to catch her before she hit the ground.

"I swear I'm gonna just get ya a stepladder," he said, shaking his head. Kai scowled at him and he grinned as he lifted her onto the horse. Genrou patted her on the leg, then mounted his own horse smoothly, very aware that Shuhei was watching them. "Let's head on down."

He led the short procession down the wider of the two paths down the mountain, the one they usually used to bring up supplies. Kai rode behind her brother, bringing up the rear in case anyone decided they were going to try and come up behind them. As he watched for human threats, he also tried to keep his mind open to sense anything like the shadow they'd seen that morning. For her part, Kai had her bow strapped to her back. It was easier for her to defend from horseback with it. She'd attempted to learn to fight with her sword while mounted, but for all her enthusiasm there was no changing the fact that her arms were short.

When they reached Souun, Genrou pulled his horse up short so that he was side by side with Kai and leaned in to talk to her. She flicked her eyes in her brother's direction but he was looking around the city and didn't see them. Kai turned her attention to Genrou.

"I'm gonna take the horses over to the stable," he said. "Take your brother over and talk to the guys runnin' the Festival, let 'em know I said he needs a priority spot. I'll meet ya over there. If ya need any help just stand your ground 'til I get there."

"What, you don't think I'm threatening enough by myself?"

"You're terrifyin,'" Genrou said. "But they don't know ya like I do." He checked to make sure Shuhei wasn't looking, then leaned in to kiss her quickly before he turned around. "Just take care of your brother. I'll join ya in a few." He got off his horse and took Kai's horse's reins.

"Okay." Kai got off her horse and went to her brother's wagon. "Oniichan, I'll take you over to the people in charge of the stalls so you can get set up."

"Thank you," he said, then looked at Genrou. "Both of you."

"It's no problem," Genrou said. "See ya in a couple minutes." He walked toward the stables to tie up their horses while Kai went the other direction, his mind working as he did. The longer he stayed in Souun, the longer his men were without him on the mountain and though he didn't feel the same unease he did when he woke up, he couldn't help worrying.

The horses taken care of, he went looking for Kai and Shuhei, rubbing the back of his neck as he did. Maybe he'd see if Kai and her brother wanted to have a drink before he headed back up the mountain. He hadn't been this tense in a while. He saw Kai first, standing at one of the booths in the middle of town and smiling at her brother as he unloaded his wares. It was a prime spot, and seemed that she hadn't needed his help to get it. He was still glad he'd come, though, just to make sure she was safe. There was no sneaking up on Kai, and she saw him well before he slung his arm around her neck.

"Nice job," he said. Kai grinned at him. "They give ya any trouble?"

"Nope," Kai said. "Though the doctor was there and made a point of mentioning that he's down to one bed after his clinic flooded."

"Oh yeah? I'll bring him a little somethin' when we come down for the Festival." This made Shuhei look up with interest.

"You're coming to the Festival?"

"Sure we are," Genrou said with a smile. "We may spend most of our time in the mountains but there's nothin' my guys like better than cuttin' loose and enjoyin' a night out. Right, Kai?"

"That's an understatement," she said. "Maybe it's because we work so hard."

"And they – the townspeople – don't mind bandits coming into their town and wandering around?" Shuhei looked surprised at this and Kai frowned. "Sorry, sorry," he said with a smile. "Probably none of my business."

"Hey," Genrou said, nodding toward an empty booth. Kai understood and followed him over. He lowered his voice so that only she could hear. "I wanna head back up the mountain. After what we saw this mornin', I wanna take Kouji out and look around more. Maybe set some animal traps just in case." She nodded. "If ya want, ya can stay down here with your brother and catch up. Kouji and I'll come back tomorrow and get ya."

"I'll come back with you now," Kai said. "Oniichan has to set up his goods and get settled at the inn, he doesn't need me hanging around. I can help Nami while you two go out and set traps." She looked over at her brother. "He'll be fine. They know he's my brother."

"Are ya sure?"

"Positive." Without waiting for him to say anything else, Kai went back to her brother with Genrou behind her. "Oniichan, I'm going to head back up the mountain. Do you need anything before I go? Food, anything like that?"

"You're going back?" Shuhei stopped what he was doing and stared at her. "Shika-"

"Please," Kai said, holding up a hand to stop him midsentence. "I want you to call me Kai now."

"Don't be ridiculous, that's not your name." Shuhei looked back down at his goods and shook his head. "I'm going to call you by the name Mother and Father gave you."

"She said she wants to be called Kai," Genrou said, annoyed for the first time at Shuhei. He could forgive the man's skepticism about the mountain and the bandits but Kai had earned her place on the mountain and earned the name she wanted. Not to mention the fact that his refusal to use her chosen name reminded him way too much of his sister.

"Kai is a boy's name," Shuhei said disdainfully. "And no matter how much you all treat her like she's a man, she's my sister."

"We treat her how she wants to be treated," Genrou said, stepping between Kai and Shuhei. He was slightly taller than Shuhei and more muscular, and he knew from experience that he projected an authoritative air but Kai's brother didn't back down. Apparently she wasn't the only strong one in the family. Genrou narrowed his eyes at Shuhei. "She's ain't some delicate flower. She can hold her own against any one of my guys, so she gets called whatever she wants. She's one of us."

"Oniichan, if you need anything while you're in town just mention Genrou's name. If they know you're my brother they'll take care of you." Kai's words drew her brother's attention, and the situation was temporarily defused. "I'll come back down tomorrow to see you, or if you want you can come up to the fortress. You're always welcome at our place." Shuhei glanced at Genrou as if he didn't believe him and the bandit leader decided it was the better part of valor to agree.

"Yeah, sure," he said. "Anytime ya wanna come up, feel free." He watched as Kai hugged her brother, then walked with her to the stables to get their horses.

This time Kai was able to get up on her horse by herself with a little help from the salt lick and as she settled into the saddle Genrou looked at her. An overwhelming feeling of sadness struck him and he watched her nudge her horse into a walk. She looked over her shoulder at him.

"You coming?"

"Yeah," Genrou said, bringing his horse up side by side with hers. They rode in silence until they reached the mountain path and Kai pointed to the road that led around the mountain.

"You want to check on the guys while we're down here?"

"Nah, they're probably fine," he said. "I don't feel anything." She frowned at him and stopped her horse, forcing him to do the same. "What?"

"Are you all right?" Kai's eyes searched his face and his first instinct was to look away, but he couldn't. He gave her half a smile and she reached out to him. The space between their horses was just enough for her to be able to press her hand against his cheek. In spite of the warmth of the day it was cool. "What's wrong?"

"I just had this feeling, like I thought maybe because he showed up after so long that he might try to take ya back home with him," Genrou half-mumbled. "Just, y'know, I don't want ya to leave."

"I'm not going anywhere," Kai said with a smile. "Shuhei might be my brother but this is where I belong." She smiled gently at him. "With you." Instead of a reply, he took her hand and pressed his lips to her palm, a gesture that never failed to make Kai blush.

"Thanks."

"C'mon," she said, nodding up at the fortress. "Let's get out of the sun. I had enough of it yesterday to last me a lifetime." Genrou snapped his horse's reins and started up the mountain, resisting the urge to look back and make sure Kai was following. No matter what she said, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was going to be leaving and he hoped, for once, that he was wrong.


	3. An Old Friend

Much to Kai's relief, there hadn't been another incident like the one with the mountain cat in the day since they'd come back from taking her brother to Souun. Whatever had been on Genrou's mind seemed to have disappeared as well, and he was his usual easygoing self again. As Kai and Nami sat by the road, chatting amicably, it felt like things were back to normal.

"The Festival's gonna be great this year for sure," Nami said. "With Mt. Kaou a pile of stones, there's no real reason for us to leave anybody up here. We can all go down and see it."

"I know what I'm looking forward to," Kai said, leaning back on her hands as she looked into the trees. "That dessert with the fruit and jelly cubes. I haven't had that since last year." She closed her eyes. "Mmm, I can almost taste it."

"How you managed to hide it from us that you were a girl for half a year is a mystery, brat." Nami ducked as Kai pitched a rock in his general direction. "That was pathetic."

"I wasn't trying." She flopped back on the grass and looked at the sky. The sun was in the west and she turned her head toward Nami, who was polishing his sword. "Think we should call it a day?"

"Sure, if you want. We haven't seen a traveler in a couple of hours and it's gonna start gettin' dark soon." He sheathed his sword and looked down at her. "You wanna go on up and I'll go down to the restaurant and let them know we're leaving?"

"Nah, I'll go," Kai said, pushing herself off the ground. "I'm faster. You go on up and tell Genrou I went to the restaurant if he asks." She dusted off her pants. "He probably won't. He's got a lot on his mind with the Festival."

"Don't be an idiot," Nami said. "Of course he's gonna ask. It's you." He crossed the road and started up the path to the fortress. "Be careful, don't fall into any holes on the way."

"That only happened once," Kai shouted at him and he waved over his shoulder at her. She watched him go with her arms folded over her chest and sighed. Now that Shuhei was in town, she had more big brothers than she could handle and they couldn't be more different.

Once Nami was out of sight she turned and started down the smaller footpath that led down to the restaurant the bandits sort of operated. It was a great source of intel on the goings-on of the town as well as a moneymaker and there were always a couple of extra guys hanging around just in case there was trouble.

Halfway down, a sudden chill went down Kai's spine and she stopped where she was. There was a small clearing with a cluster of bushes and she frowned at it. She could have sworn she'd seen the bushes rustle. Thinking it was probably a rabbit or squirrel she turned to start back down, but her feeling of unease continued. She wondered if Genrou was feeling the same thing. In any case she suddenly didn't want to be in the open and went to the clearing instead. Once she was there, she drew her sword and looked around, trying to determine if there was anyone around.

Her first thought was to call out but she pushed it aside. If someone was lurking in the mountains she didn't want to give away her position. She got closer to the single tree that was alongside the bushes in the hopes of giving herself some small amount of cover. Kai was just within reach of it when the arrow struck her in the shoulder.

"Wha-" She looked down in surprise at the shaft that seemed to have grown out of her shoulder, and a moment later the pain tore through her. Kai gritted her teeth against it and automatically reached up to pull the arrow out. The slightest tug sent another wave of pain through her and she decided she was going back to the fortress before she tried again. She turned to make a run for the road and a second arrow plunged into the back of her shoulder and a third just above her waist.

The force of the arrows striking her sent her stumbling forward, and this time she couldn't help crying out. She fell onto her hands and knees, a bolt of pain shooting up her arm as she landed. It gave way and Kai went sprawling onto the ground, driving the arrow in her front in further. The pain suffused her being and she rolled as best she could onto her uninjured side, aware as she did of the heat spreading from the wounds. Blood dripped onto the grass and she bit her lip. She couldn't move, could barely even think straight. There was nothing she could do but wait for whoever had shot her to come finish the job.

 _Genrou_ , she thought desperately. Kai wasn't much for being rescued but it seemed like it was the only option. _Please come find me. You can feel the mountain, surely you can feel me_. She reached up with the only hand that didn't cause her searing pain and clutched the necklace he had given her, back before he knew she was a girl. _Please_. She wished it harder than she'd ever wished anything in her life, hoping that he would come find her before her assailant did.

Second ticked by and spun themselves into minutes while she bled into the grass, staining her clothes and spreading a coolness through her body that frightened and comforted her. She wished Genrou would come, and wished she would pass out. At least that way she wouldn't be in pain.

 _Is this how I'm going to die?_

Kai was having trouble keeping her eyes open and she closed them for a moment, fully intending just to rest for a moment. Footsteps nearby snapped her back to attention and she forced her eyes open to see a pair of black shoes in her line of sight. Too weak to lift her head, she closed her eyes again and waited for whoever it was to deliver the final blow. She hoped it would be quick. Tears were streaming down her face and her last thought was of Genrou before everything went black.

000

"What do ya think, Kouji?" Genrou sat on the porch of the main building inside the fortress, looking at his best friend. "Ya think it'd be okay to leave the place unguarded for a coupl'a hours for the Festival or should I bust somebody's bubble and tell 'em they hafta stay and watch the place?"

"Honestly?" Kouji said, throwing a knife into a painted target on one of the trees. "I think it'd be safe enough. There's always a couple of guys that don't go though, for whatever reason. If they wanna stay behind, might as well pay 'em for it."

"Yeah, I didn't consider that." Genrou rubbed his chin. "I guess if-" He stopped midsentence as a shudder of dread went through his body and he sat up straight. Kouji pulled his knife out of the tree and went over to him with a frown.

"You okay?" Before Genrou could say anything, the sound of voices approaching the gates caught his attention and he jumped off the porch. He wasn't sure why, but all of a sudden it seemed that the only thing in the world that was important was seeing Kai.

When he met the group at the gate, he was dismayed to see that she wasn't among them but did his best not to show it. Kouji joined him, smiling, but there was a cautiousness about it that only Genrou could sense. Goh, the archer who had taught Kai nearly everything she knew, grinned at him.

"Hey, Kashira! You didn't have to meet us."

"Gotta keep an eye on all of ya," he said, forcing a smile. "Who knows what you'd get up to without me. Did any of ya see Kai on your way up?"

"She was down at the road last I saw her," Goh said with a shrug. "Her and Nami both. She might've gone down to check on the restaurant, she usually does before they head back up here."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Genrou said, somewhat relieved. If she was with Nami, his bad feeling probably didn't involve her. The only place it was safer for her than with him was with the enormous bandit, whose soft spot for her was impossible to hide. He thought of her like a little sister, there was no way he'd let her get hurt. Just as he was thinking this, Nami came up the side of the mountain alone. The feeling of dread was back at once and he went toward Nami. "Where's Kai?"

"She sent me on ahead," Nami said. "Said she'd catch up with me and was gonna go down-"

"-to the restaurant," Genrou finished for him. "I heard. She ain't back yet, though." Alarm bells were going off in his head and he turned to Kouji. "I'm gonna go look for her."

"We'll go with you," Kouji said. "If somethin's wrong, you're gonna need backup."

"Ya don't hafta," Genrou said. "I can take care of myself."

"You sound just like her," Nami said, shaking his head. "But I'm goin' with you. She's my partner, after all. I never should've left her." Before Genrou could argue, he started back down the mountain. Kouji and Genrou shared a look, then followed him.

The four of them made it to the road in record time and first went to the place where Kai and Nami had parked themselves the majority of the day. There was no sign that Kai had come back there and Nami cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Hey Kai," he shouted, loudly enough for his voice to echo up the mountain. "Where are you, brat?" There was no answer and Genrou shook his head.

"I'm gonna go down to the restaurant. Maybe she'll be on her way back up." He headed toward the footpath Kai always used and Kouji shared a glance with Nami, then followed him.

As they made their way down the mountain toward the restaurant, Genrou looked around the trails at the same time that he stretched out his perception to try and feel her. The feeling of dread had become out and out panic and he broke into a run. It made no sense. Kai could have been down to the restaurant and back to the fortress in the time it was taking them to look for her. As much as he didn't want to admit it, something was very wrong.

"Hey Genrou," Kouji said suddenly. His words were quiet but they sent a chill through Genrou's body and the younger of the two men stopped in his tracks. "You'd better come look at this."

Without a word, Genrou went to the clearing where Kouji was standing by some small bushes. He looked down at the ground where his friend was staring and the air was driven from his lungs. His brain refused to believe what he was seeing and he shook his head.

"That don't mean anything," he said, folding his arms over his chest. He couldn't look directly at the grass that appeared to have been smashed flat, as if someone had been laying on it. If he did, he'd have to admit that the darkness soaking the ground was blood and not some trick of the sun. "Somebody coulda been huntin' up here and shot a deer."

"With that much blood loss, there's no way she got up and walked away," Kouji said, ignoring Genrou's denial. He knelt down and touched the grass, then rubbed his fingers together. "It's still sticky. She might still be alive."

"Nobody said it was hers!"

"If somebody found her, they probably took her down to Souun to the doctor," Nami said, also ignoring Genrou. "If she was lucky, he was able to treat her." He looked at Kouji, then Genrou. "We should go down there and check."

"She's gonna be fine," Genrou said. "We're gonna get down there and she'll be hangin' out at the restaurant. You'll see, she's fine." He kept telling himself this as he first walked, then ran down the footpath to the restaurant. He couldn't let himself get hysterical when there was probably nothing wrong to begin with, but the feeling of unease that he'd had at the fortress had grown into something that threatened to engulf him. All he could think about was the shadow-poisoned mountain cat and how its evil had been transient but its claws had been very real.

By the time they got to the restaurant he had abandoned the idea that she was going to be there and ran straight for the doctor. The streets weren't as full as they would be in a few days during the Suzaku Festival but they were busier than usual and he pushed his way through them, not caring who he shoved out of the way in the process. Kai's face was all he could see and until he saw for himself whether or not she was all right, he couldn't just stand still.

"Kai?" He burst through the door of the doctor's clinic and looked around. The doctor was leaning over a bed in the corner, and his face was grim as he straightened and turned toward Genrou. There was a small shape in the bed and he knew the curve of the woman's face in an instant. "Kai!"

"Genrou," the doctor said quietly as Genrou hurried to the side of the bed. "I'm afraid it's very serious. I removed the arrows as carefully as possible but she'd already lost a great deal of blood." He shook his head. "She hasn't woken up since she was brought in."

"Is she gonna be okay?" His golden eyes traveled from her quiet, pale face to the bandages that covered her from her shoulders to her waist. It reminded him of the way she had once bound her breasts and he tried to remember how she'd looked when she woke up beside him that morning. All he could see was blood staining the bandages and he took her hand.

"I wish I could tell you she will," the doctor said. "But it's too soon to tell. I'm doing everything I can for her."

"Yeah, I know ya are." He sat on the edge of Kai's bed. "Do ya know who found her?"

"It was a traveling monk," the doctor replied. "He must have done something to her wounds because they'd stopped bleeding by the time he brought her in. They only started bleeding again after I took out the arrows."

"Do ya know if he's still around? I'd like to thank him." Genrou was still looking down at Kai as if he expected her to wake up any moment and didn't want to miss her. The doctor moved to his side and he looked up. Behind the doctor he could see Kouji and Nami staring at Kai in shock and he turned his eyes back to Kai, unable to deal with their pain and his at the same time.

"I believe he's in town for the Festival," the doctor said. "I'm sure he's around somewhere. He said he'd come back to check on her but he didn't give a name."

"I'll probably be here," Genrou said, rubbing her hand. "I wanna be here when she wakes up."

"That could be a while," the doctor began kindly, and Genrou looked up at him, eyes blazing.

"I don't care how long it is," he snapped. "I'm gonna stay here til she can at least tell me off for leaving her…" His words dried up suddenly and he shook his head. "I'm stayin'."

There was a long silence between the men in the room, broken only when Nami went to the side of the bed and looked down at Kai. She looked smaller than usual and it was hard to tell what the huge man was feeling. Nami knelt down beside the bed and tugged the sheet a little higher on her, as if he was tucking in a child, and for a moment Genrou felt like he was going to burst into tears.

"What a troublemaker," Nami said, standing up. "You better wake up and get back to work or I'm takin' all the money your brother gave you and spending it on booze."

"Maybe one of us should go tell her brother," Kouji said quietly. "He'll probably want to come by and see her."

"Do you know where he's staying?"

"At the biggest inn," Genrou said. "He's also got a booth where they're settin' up for the Festival. Textiles." Kouji nodded and pointed at the door.

"I'm gonna go look for him," he said. Nami nodded and joined him.

"I'll go too." They went to the door together and Genrou heard it shut as they left. The doctor was the only one in the room with him now and he cleared his throat.

"I'll just be in the other room," he said. "I have a lady coming in with her sick child that I need to take care of. Please feel free to stay with her as long as you wish." The doctor looked as if he wanted to say more, but disappeared through the door instead. As soon as they were gone, Genrou pressed Kai's hand to his face. It was cold, and there wasn't even a hint of the strength she'd gained since they first met. He'd gotten used to this hand holding his, or feeling her brush her fingers over his forehead to push his hair back when it started getting too long. She'd only tried to trim it once and it had been such a disaster that they'd agreed never to try it again.

"C'mon, Kai," he said, his voice uneven. "Ya gotta wake up, okay? We gotta get home." There was no answer and he managed a smile. "Ya never did listen to me. Always so stubborn. I'm gonna be the stubborn one now. I'm not leavin' here until you wake up."

The door behind him opened and Genrou turned, expecting to see Kai's brother or Kouji and Nami coming back to say they couldn't find him. He knew it wasn't the doctor; he could hear his voice in the other room. Who he didn't expect to come through the door was Chichiri.


End file.
